Sh 14.9B IFAD funded fish project set to boost production in 15 counties

One of the Vehicles launched today  in 9 Counties Kisumu inlcuded for the program Aquaculture Business Development Program (ABDP)-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo 

By Dickson Odhiambo

 

April 23, 2021

 

Sh 14.9B IFAD funded fish project set to boost production in 15 counties  

 AN Ambitious fish project estimated to be shs 14.9 Billion is set to boost fish production in 15 Counties across the country.

 This has been revealed as part of the measures the National Government has put in place to address challenges in the Fisheries and Aquaculture sub-sector.

 Addressing the press in Kisumu today, the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperative Development Peter Munya in a speech read on his behalf by the Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry Lawrence Omuhaka said the Government through the State Department for Fisheries, Aquaculture and the Blue Economy with support from International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and contribution from beneficiaries launched a shs 14.9 Billion Programme in the year 2019.

Omuhaka who spoke during the launch of nine vehicles for the program for nine Counties said    the program which is known as Aquaculture Business Development Program (ABDP) is meant to support aquaculture farming in 15 Counties with high aquaculture potential.

 He says some of the counties that are implementing the program include Nyeri, Meru, Kirinyaga, Embu, Tharaka Nithi, Kajiado and Machakos in the Central/Eastern Region and Kakamega, Migori, Homa Bay, Busia, Kisii, Kisumu and Siaya in the Western Region.

 

He says ABDP presents great opportunities for over 35,500 households that translate to 213,000 beneficiaries who include smallholder aquaculture farmers, input suppliers, aggregators (Independent Aquaculture Aggregators), processors through Public-Private-Producer-Partnerships (PPPP).

 

“The interventions under this program will include: -Support to County-level extension service provision, Support to smallholder aquaculture farmers to acquire inputs and rehabilitation/construction of production units, Capacity building for aquaculture value-chain players, Complete the link between producers and markets for farmed fish, Create structured markets and institutions in the aquaculture value chain,” he says.

 

The CAS says the Smallholder farmers will be organized into Smallholder Aquaculture Groups (SAGs),

 

“The Program is supporting Counties in making the Mini-fish Processing Plants in Meru, Nyeri, Kakamega and Migori develop into Aquaculture Business Hubs, Support over 5,500 youths through Aquaculture Support Enterprises (ASEs) through MSMEs related interventions, and support over 63,900 women to form viable aquaculture related enterprises,” adds part of the speech from the CS.

 

He says under the ABDP, sixteen vehicles were procured during the first phase and was commissioned and handed them over to the users who included the Program Coordination Unit and six Counties namely: Nyeri, Meru, Kirinyaga, Homa Bay, Kakamega and Migori, adding that the remaining have been handed over today to the nine Counties.

 

“As I promised in May 2020, the other Nine (9) Counties implementing ABDP namely; Busia, Siaya, Kisumu, Kisii, Kajiado, Kiambu, Embu and Tharaka Nithi will each get a vehicle today.  I expect this support to these Counties to be reciprocated by ensuring that the vehicles are used to transform livelihoods of a mass number of aquaculture farmers in Kenya,” says Munya.

 

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